The Family of Steel
by Bobbydrake2000
Summary: Superman and Lois Lane are raising their young son Jon, teaching him how to be the hero that his father is. But their family is growing, starting with the return of Connor Kent, the former Superboy, who instantly bonds with Jon. But Superman still has enemies who still stop at nothing to destroy the Man of Steel, even if it means going through his children...
1. Chapter 1

_The Planet Krypton_

The planet Krypton was on the verge of destruction. Within the next hour, the entire planet would be nothing but debris and ash. An entire culture will soon have been destroyed, lost to the void of eternity. All but one small child, who would be the sole survivor of Krypton's demise...

In a hidden chamber inside of their home, Jor-El was making the final preparations on a small rocket. His wife, Lara, carried in a tiny infant wrapped in a red blanket.

"Is this truly the only answer?" Lara asked as she cradled the baby.

"I have pondered many solutions in the short time that I've known of Krypton's impending destruction," Jor-El told her. "I had originally envisioned the rocket being large enough for both you and our child."

"Then you would have wasted precious time," Lara said. "I would never leave you to die alone, Jor-El. You and I are one, now and forever. Where you go, I go. Even if it is into the next world."

"Lara, my better half, it is your love and guidance that has continued to sustain me through the years. Even knowing that we are about to die, I die knowing that I am with my one true soul mate," Jor-El told her as he stared down at his son. "We must launch the ship within the next two minutes if our son, our legacy, is to survive."

"Even if he escapes into orbit, where will he go? What world would take our child in and give him the love he would have received here?" Lara asked.

"There is one world, but it is very distant," Jor-El said as he took the baby. "A primitive world with a yellow sun. He will become strong, able to do things no other person can. He will need these advantages in order to survive in such a savage place."

"A yellow sun? He will be an outcast," Lara told him. "He will not be like the others."

"He will adapt, he will grow up as one of them," Jor-El said. "Perhaps he may even find beings who will give him what we can no longer provide. Our son will carry on, and perhaps one day, he himself will have a son to teach our ways to. Everything that is Krypton is in the crystals I have placed inside of the ship. Our son will know who he is, and where he comes from. And then, one day, so will his children. Krypton will live through him. As long as Kal-El survives, then so shall we."

Jor-El kissed the baby's forehead and gently placed him in the rocket. "My beloved Kal-El. I now give this new world our greatest gift. I give them you, my son. Though they may fear you and your gifts, you will rise above. You will be an example to them, teach them compassion, truth, justice. I know you will do great things, my son. I will forever be with you, where ever you may go."

The ground started to shake as Jor-El quickly closed the ship and activated the controls. The roof opened as the ship started getting into position, and within seconds it was fired into the stratosphere. As they watched the ship become smaller and smaller, Lara took her husband's hand, gripping it tightly as the planet Krypton was down to its final precious moments. Ten minutes after the rocket ship had escaped the planet's gravitational pull, the planet imploded, leaving nothing but the shattered remnants of a once proud race behind.

Inside the rocket ship, the tiny infant known as Kal-El headed toward Earth, where the infant would grow into a man, who would be everything his father had hoped for and more...

 **Family of Steel #1**

 **"Homecoming"**

 _Metropolis_

 _Many Years Later_

The sun was just beginning to set in the city of Metropolis on that fall evening. The buildings were starting to light up to give the city the bright glow it was famous for, with the biggest light of all coming from the Daily Planet globe, which sat on top of the news building while it slowly turned.

As the people on the streets went about their way, some heading home after a long day of work, some just heading out for a night on the town, others just wanting to spend a quiet night with friends or family, every head on the street turned at the sound of the police siren as it blared from up the street.

An armed robbery had just taken place, and the police had responded accordingly. It wasn't long before a chase ensued, with the robbers doing everything in their power to evade the cops, including firing their guns and tossing various objects out the window.

"Shake 'em!" the robber in the back seat shouted.

"I'm trying!" the driver shouted back. "Why don't you shoot out their tires or something?"

"At this speed? What if they hit someone?" the man in the backseat asked.

"For what we're gettin' paid? Who cares?" the driver asked. The man in the backseat just shrugged and leaned out the window, aiming for the tires on the police cruiser. After a few shots, he finally hit the mark.

The police cruiser swerved, but at the speed it was going, it hit a curb and was sent flying, heading right toward a mother and a carriage with her newborn twins. The woman screamed as she tried to shield her babies, closing her eyes as she expected this to be it. Seconds later, she opened her eyes as nothing had happened. Silence only filled the air as the woman looked to see what had happened.

The police cruiser was hanging in the air, being held up by a 10-year-old child with shaggy black hair. He was wearing blue jeans, red sneakers, a zippered blue jacket with the 'S' shield on it, and a long red cape that was flowing in the wind. The boy just curled his lip and smiled at her.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"I'mJo-," the boy said before remembering what his parents had told him when he was in costume. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone his real name. In his best gruff Batman imitation, he just smirked and said: "I'm Superboy."

* * *

Meanwhile, the robbers were getting away as the driver looked in the rearview mirror. "I think we lost 'em. It'll be a smooth ride from here on out."

"Yeah, a little too smooth," the robber in the backseat said. "It feels like we're not even on the road."

The man looked out the window, seeing the car was now flying through the air and was a good twenty feet off the ground. Seconds later, the car had been turned upside down and placed gently in front of the police station as the two robbers fell onto the roof of the car, seeing only a pair of red boots standing just outside of the window. The Man of Steel kneeled down and looked inside the window at them.

"Gentlemen," Superman said with a smile. "Would you care to step outside?"

* * *

Superboy was sitting on top of the Daily Planet building with his legs dangling over the edge of the roof as he stared out into the city. He was waiting for his father at their usual meeting place, where they agreed to meet up whenever they got separated while keeping the city safe.

"I thought I'd find you or your dad here,"

Superboy turned around to see a young man floating in the sky over the Daily Planet. He was wearing blue jeans, black boots, a black leather jacket and a blue t-shirt with the 'S' shield on it. He had long, shaggy black hair that nearly came down to his shoulders.

"Connor!" Superboy shouted as he immediately shot into the air, hugging his surrogate older brother tightly. "I thought you took off forever!"

"You really think I'd leave you for good?" Connor asked. "I just needed time away from everything."

"Where have you been?" Superboy asked as they landed on the roof.

"Where haven't I been? I've traveled everywhere, trying to find inner peace. I've seen wisemen, wise guys, shamans, voodoo priests, and everyone inbetween to find myself."

"Where were you hidden?"

Connor just mussed the boy's hair and smirked as they sat down. "The last place I looked, kid. But I'm back now. Where's your dad?"

"Taking some bad guys to jail, he's supposed to be back soon. Does this mean you're going to be moving to Metropolis?"

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to your parents about," Connor said as his super hearing started picking up a strange humming. "You hear that, kid?"

Superboy raised his head and listened to the same sound. "Yeah. What is it?"

A dozen wafer thin drones with two mini mounted lasers on top rose up over the ledge of the building as the two young men just stared at each other. The drones had located the two Kryptonians with infrared vision, identifying them as being metahuman.

"I've never seen drones like that before," Connor said. "Don't get too close."

"Come on, it's not like they can-" Superboy started to say as two laser blasts hit him right in the stomach. He doubled over in pain as Connor flew towards him, but the other drones opened fire at once, sending Connor falling onto the roof of the Daily Planet.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Superboy shouted as he shot his heat vision at them. The blast just bounced right off of the drone, having been forged out of the same metal alloy that the supervillain Metallo had been made from.

The drones turned their firepower back to Superboy as he fell onto the roof next to Connor. The drones closed in and circled around them, firing their lasers at the fallen duo. A heat vision blast from not too far away hit one of the drones, again bouncing right off of it. The drones then turned and focused on a new threat as it arrived.

"You want to fire on someone? Try me," Superman said as he floated there. The drones did just that and opened fire at once, sending Superman flying back in pain. He quickly bounced back and used his super breath to scatter the drones to knock them off-balance. "You want to play rough? Fine."

Removing his cape, Superman quickly sped around, gathering up all the drones inside of it. Superman flew down to the ground and as hard he could, slammed the drone filled cape onto the ground repeatedly, shattering the contents. Moments later, the hero flew back up to the roof to make sure Connor and Superboy were okay.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked.

"Yeah," Connor said as he helped Superboy up. "What were those things? That stung like hell."

"My stomach hurts," Jon told him. Superman lifted the boy's jacket, seeing his stomach had red marks on it from the lasers that had struck him.

Superman reached into his cape, pulling out a piece of one of the drone, scanning it with his x-ray vision. He could tell immediately where these things came from, and he wasn't happy.

"Take Jon home," Superman told him. "I"ll be there after I pay someone a little visit."

"Come on, Jon," Connor said as he scooped the boy up into his arms. "It's way past your bedtime, anyway."

As Connor flew off the roof, Superman just stared down at the drone piece in his hand, crushing it.

* * *

 _LexCorp_

"What do you mean that all the drones are offline?" Lex Luthor asked as he sat at his desk. "That means that I'll be having a guest drop in very soon."

Luthor hung up the phone and turned his chair to stare out the window, where the Man of Steel was floating there. With the push of a button, the window opened as Superman floated in, opening his cape over Luthor's desk, where the drone pieces fell on top of it.

"I found your toys," Superman said as he reattached his cape. "They had LexCorp tech written all over them."

"Does my desk look like a garbage can?" Luthor asked as he stared up at the hero. "You'll be getting the bill for destroying these prototypes."

"Prototypes for what?" Superman asked. "What's your game, Luthor?"

"Why, prototypes for the new Superman toyline, of course," Luthor smirked.

"You don't have the rights to use my image. I'd never give you permission for that. The only ones who have that permission are the charities I work with."

"Funny you should mention that. Just last week I closed the deal on buying out every last charity you are associated with, just to get the sole rights to your image and merchandise."

"But the children-"

"Oh, I'm not completely heartless, the children of those charities are still well provided for, only now when people see who's feeding and clothing them, they'll know it's Lex Luthor who's funding them. Meanwhile, I'll be producing Superman merchandise in mass quantities. The first shipment hits stores next week. You're going to make me a very rich man, Kryptonian. Well, rich _er_."

"You're never going to get away with this, I'll have my lawyer get in contact with you."

"Please do. That fancy lawyer stationery is the perfect lining for the bottom of my birdcage."

"You attacked my son!" Superman said angrily.

"The boy was never in any real danger. I do admit, the lasers do need to be dialed back a bit. The drones were merely testing out the technology for the laser eyes on the Superman action figures. The lasers themselves will be harmless to normal children. We use a red sunlight simulator to give out that real sense of laser vision. It's no more harmful than a laser pointer. Unless you're Kryptonian, however. It'll leave quite a sting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a late night business meeting. We're going to be discussing the Superman motion picture. I really have my heart set on Tyler Perry playing you. And by that, I mean in the full Madea get-up he's known so well for."

"This isn't over," Superman said as Luthor stood up.

"Oh, my dear Superman, it's been over since the day you returned to Metropolis with that little moppet in tow," Luthor smiled as he opened his drawer and tossed Superman a doll version of the Man of Steel. "Here, a gift from me to your boy as an apology.'

"We don't want anything from you, Luthor," Superman said as he tossed the doll onto the desk. "And if you ever come near Superboy again, you will pay."

"Do bring him by sometime," Luthor said smugly as Superman headed to the window. "I'd love to personally meet the fruit of your loins. Perhaps we could discuss a Saturday morning cartoon about him."

As Superman left, Luthor stared down at the mess on his desk. The prototypes had been destroyed, but they had done their job. Getting under Superman's skin was the one thing that truly brought Lex Luthor joy.

* * *

Outside of Metropolis sat the Kent Farm, located in a peaceful area where the Kent family could have their privacy while teaching their young son Jon how to use his powers properly. The Man of Steel landed just outside the door, reaching for the door handle. As he was about to open it, his wife of several years was about to storm out with a baseball bat wrapped in barbwire.

"Tell me you took care of the monster that hurt our son," Lois said. "Or better yet, take me to him so I can put a few marks on him."

"Whoa, calm down, Mama Bear," Superman said as he calmly took the bat from her. "No more Walking Dead marathons for you. Did Jon make it home okay?"

"He's upstairs sleeping," Lois told him. "Did you see the bruises on him?"

"Red sun energy," Superman said as he started changing out of his costume. "A few hours playing in the sun tomorrow and he'll be as good as new. Lex Luthor sent the drones after him to get to me. He bought out all the charities I'm connected to just so he could get the rights to my image."

"Can he do that?" Lois asked as Clark Kent headed upstairs to look in on his son.

"I'm going to get in contact with Bruce tomorrow, see if he can't find us a lawyer to fight it, but for now it looks like Luthor has the upper hand," Clark said as he looked in on Jon. The boy was sleeping in his bed, clutching a My Buddy doll tightly in his arms. The doll was Jon's security blanket that used to belong to Clark when he was a boy. Jon's grandmother had found it in the attic and given it to the boy when he was four, with Jon keeping it in his possession ever since. "Where's Connor?"

"Sleeping on the couch," Lois told him as Clark gently closed the door. "He has nowhere else to go I think he wants to stay here until he gets on his feet."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt if he stayed with us for a while until he finds something," Clark said as he sniffed the air. "Have you been smoking?"

"One cigarette to calm my nerves after seeing Jon's stomach. This is the first time since Jon's powers developed that he's really been hurt. If someone like Luthor wants to hurt him..."

"It won't happen again, I promise," Clark said as he held her close. "Maybe we should see about putting extra padding into his suit or something. He still hasn't gotten his full powers yet, we should look into extra protection for him. But first I want to look into Luthor's latest scheme before it causes too much damage."

"Baby, you're talking to one of the #1 reporters in the world. I'll have everything you need to know by tomorrow night."

"You just be careful, you never know what to expect from Lex Luthor."

* * *

The next morning, Jon walked into the kitchen in his pajamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Lois was squeezing some fresh orange juice.

"Jonathan Samuel Kent, you go put some shoes on, I don't like you walking around the cold floors barefoot," Lois told him. Jon just shrugged as he lifted himself off the ground, floating toward the breakfast table.

"Come on Lois, I used to go barefoot all the time on the farm when I was young," Clark said as he came into the kitchen.

"You're also 100% Kryptonian and never had to deal with being sick," Lois reminded him. "We don't know completely what will affect Jon and what won't with his genetics. He could be immune to kryptonite but still catch a common cold for all we know."

"Whatever comes our way, we'll get through it as a family," Clark said as he kissed her before mussing Jon's hair as Connor walked into the room with no shirt or boots on.

"It's 5 a.m. Why am I up at 5 a.m.?"

"Chores," Clark told him. "You're going to earn your keep if you're living here. You can start by getting the eggs from the chicken coop and milking the cow after you get dressed. Jon, you feed the animals."

"Gah, it's like living with the older Kents all over again," Connor said as he headed for the door. Jon finished his orange juice and flew after him, taking Connor's hand.

"Come on, I'll show you how to get the best eggs. Some of the chickens can be really stubborn about giving up their eggs."

"You know what, I think I'm going to like having him here," Lois said as she watched how happy Jon was to have an older kid around.

* * *

 _The LexCorp Toy Factory_

The recently opened factory was manufacturing all manner of Superman based products. Dolls, action figures, board games, yo-yo's, and everything inbetween. The toys would hit shelves soon, and Lex Luthor's pockets would be lined with even more money.

With minimal security around, someone was easily able to sneak into the factory, with a small jar he'd acquired from a new ally. An ally who had helped him become a whole man. He started to open the jar, having a little trouble at first, but finally popped it, letting what looked like a silvery liquid fall onto the floor, which quickly started spreading throughout the factory.

"That's right, my little friends, go play. Soon all of Metropolis will be our playground."

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

_You never forget your first time._

"Help!"

 _You always think that you can't do something, that it's too tough, you'll just screw up and fail and that'll be it._

Jon Kent sat up in his bed and looked out the window, seeing the overtipped tractor on top of the neighbor in the field across the way. The son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent jumped out of the bed, his bare feet hitting the floor as he stared out of the second story bedroom window. There was no time to waste. It was now or never.

 _But the combination of fear, panic, and adrenaline push all thoughts of failure out of your head, and the only thought left is that someone's in trouble, and the only other guy that can save the day is three hundred miles away._

Jon Kent backed up and took a run at the bedroom window, jumping out and flying for the very first time. It took a few seconds to get his bearings, but at a lightning quick pace, flew toward the overtipped tractor, giving a good push. The man couldn't see anything but a red and blue blur, thinking that the Man of Steel had heard his cries for help as the tractor was lifted off of him.

Seconds later, Jon ran up to the man with a cell phone in his hand.

"I called 911, just stay calm!" Jon said as he sat by the man's side. The boy had yet to get a costume, and his parents hadn't yet come around to the idea of him becoming an actual hero, so he did what a presumably normal 10-year-old boy would do and held the man's hand until the ambulance arrived.

 _That night, my parents agreed that it was time for me to join my dad. Slowly at first, but it wouldn't be long before I was being called Superboy by the media. And someday I'm really going to prove how much of a hero I am. Someday, I'm gonna make my dad proud of me._

 **The Family of Steel #2**

 **"Saturday With the Kents"**

 _Six Weeks Later_

Lois Lane-Kent and her husband Clark were both rushing around the kitchen, trying to get breakfast prepared. Even though it was a Saturday, they both had deadlines to meet for the Daily Planet. As Clark stood at the stove, making pancakes and eggs, using a combination of his heat vision and freezing breath to move things along, Lois was making fresh orange juice and toast.

In the living room, the Kent's young son Jonathan was laying on his stomach on the living room floor as he watched cartoons on t.v.

"Jon, you need to take the trash out!" Lois shouted from the kitchen.

"Do I have to?" Jon asked. "Tiny Titans hasn't gone to commercial yet!"

"You know the rules, son," Clark said. "You do your chores before breakfast is served."

Jon stood up and headed to the kitchen, mumbling to himself as he pulled the bag out of the can, just staring at it while his parent's backs were turned.

"Do not use your heat vision to incinerate it, young man," Lois told him.

Jon dragged the bag to the door and opened it, pulling his foot back.

"Do not kick it into the next city," Clark said. "Take it to the trashcan."

Jon took the bag out to the curb in front of the Kent farm, which was just outside of the city. It was not only peaceful, but Clark could help his son learn how to use his powers in private."There, I took the stupid garbage out to the stupid cans. I hate trash duty, there are bees out there."

"Bees can't hurt you, son, we've been over this," Clark said as he brought the food to the table.

"What if I accidentally swallowed one? It could sting my insides, then it'd hurt me," Jon said as he got ready to sit down. "Or what if they were kryptonite bees? Or if it was a kryptonite bee and I ended up swallowing it?"

"Go wash your hands before you sit down," Lois told him. "You know better, Jon."

"There are no such no such things as kryptonite bees," Clark told him. "Just like there are no kryptonite laundry hampers, kryptonite vegetables, or girls that have kryptonite cooties."

Jon grumbled as he stood up and headed to the bathroom to wash his hands, being careful with the faucet. He had to be careful not to break the knobs off in his hand like he did when he first started developing his powers. That was the day his father had to give him the 'World of Cardboard' speech. Jon returned to the table to eat breakfast, wanting to get back to his cartoons.

"Dad, how come Lex Luthor's not making toys of me?" Jon asked.

"Because I won't want him exploiting you," Clark replied. "It's bad enough he's doing it to me. Luckily the contracts I signed with the charities didn't involve you, Connor, Supergirl or Steel."

"You said exploiting was bad, like the time I mooned Robin because he was being a jerk," Jon said.

"No, that was exposing," Clark said. "And that's the last time you're ever going to do that, right?"

"It is now that Robin says he's going to line the toes of his boots with kryptonite," Jon said.

* * *

"Hey, kids, look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!"

A boy's hand holding a Superman action figure appeared on the t.v. screen.

 _It's Superman! Action packed adventures with Superman!_

"Now you can go on adventures with Metropolis's favorite hero as he fights against Doomsday, the Eradicator and others! And now Superman comes with realistic heat vision!"

 _Superman! Don't aim heat vision into other people's eyes, Superman!_

"And who's that? It's Superman's crime fighting buddy, Lex Luthor!"

A Lex Luthor action figure in his green and purple armor popped in next to Superman.

 _Lex Luthor! Funny and brilliant super genius Lex Luthor!_

The two figures high-fived each other as they stood over the fallen supervillains.

"Superman, Super Awesome Heroic Lex Luthor, and other figures sold separately! Coming soon to local Metropolis toy stores!"

Jon Kent was laying on the couch in his pajamas while he watched the ad for the new Superman toyline. His parents, Clark and Lois, were standing in the doorway watching the same commercial. Lois put a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"This is bull," Lois said. "I looked at this story from every angle. Everything Luthor is doing is completely legit."

"That's what the lawyer Bruce suggested to me said," Clark told her. "The only good news is that he only has the Superman rights. He can't produce anything with Jon, Connor, or anyone else I'm close to, although I'm sure he's already working on ways around that as we speak. I can't believe after all the years we've fought each other, this is how he finally beats me."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Lois said as Clark looked at her. "I mean, the charities are still getting funded, and this is going to make a lot of children happy."

"I can't believe you're the one who's finding the silver lining in all of this," Clark told her. "Shouldn't this be the other way around?"

"What can I say, you've been a positive influence on me," Lois said as they kissed.

"Ew," Jon said, his head barely peeking over the couch at them. "I just ate breakfast."

"Good, that means you can go outside and help Connor bale the rest of the hay," Clark told him. "Go get dressed and give him a hand."

"Do I have to? Hay makes me sneeze," Jon said, still only speaking with half of his head staring at them from the back of the couch.

"If you want to go to the city with me tonight," Clark said, seeing Jon was already halfway up the stairs, leaving a trail of pajamas, socks, and underwear behind as he rushed upstairs to get changed into his work clothes.

"Speaking of the city, I need to go to the Planet," Lois said as she started picking up Jon's clothes. "Perry's been making arrangements for me to get that big story with William and Kate."

"The teenage son of the future King and Queen of England comes out of the closet, and they specifically ask for you to get the sole interview, you should be honored," Clark said.

"I just don't know if I want to leave you and Jon alone for that long while I go to England," Lois told him as she tossed Jon's clothes into the hamper.

"We'll be fine," Clark assured her. "It'll be good for some father/son bonding Maybe I'll come with you to the Planet, the boys should be finished with their chores by the time we get back."

* * *

While Jon was finishing fixing the fence that he would have to do soon anyway, Connor was baling hay by picking each bale up with ease and flying it up to the top of the barn. His t-shirt was wrapped around his waist as he was starting to enjoy working out in the sun.

"How's your stomach?" Connor asked as he touched down on the ground to grab another bale, picking it up and twirling it like a basketball.

"Better," Jon said as he lifted his t-shirt and showed him. The bruises were cleared up thanks to the yellow sun's energy healing his Kryptonian DNA. "Connor, why does Lex Luthor hate my dad so much?"

"Because people hate anything they don't understand, I guess," Connor told him. "We can do stuff that no one else can, and that scares some people."

"But why?" Jon asked. "I don't wanna hurt people, I want to help people like my Dad does."

"It's hard to explain, kid," Connor told him as he put the bale down and kneeled down to look at Jon. "I guess it's just something you have to figure out for yourself as you get older. People are gonna hate for no other reason than just to hate. But you just keep trying to do good for others. Be a hero like your old man, show people that you're not someone to be scared of."

"My dad's taking me into the city tonight to see a movie, wanna come?" Jon asked.

"Maybe," Connor told him as he flew the bale of hay up into the barn. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

 _The Daily Planet_

"Olsen, where are those pictures for tonight's edition!" Perry White shouted. "And where's that intern with my coffee!"

"On it, chief!" Jimmy shouted as he rushed to get his digital camera.

"Lane!" Perry shouted from his office as he saw Lois. "Get in here!"

"Coming!" Lois said as Clark saw Jimmy rushing past.

"Hello, Jimmy,"

"Hey, Mr. Kent," Jimmy said as he headed to his desk while letting out a yawn.

"You look worn out, Jimmy, is everything alright?"

"Oh, I've just been working nights for some extra cash," Jimmy told him.

"Why don't you just ask Perry for a raise?"

Both men stood there for a moment before they started laughing, which is when a loud ringing started hurting Clark's ears. Back at the farm, the same thing was happening to Connor and Jon.

 _Son of Jor-El, only you and those with enhanced hearing can hear this message. Meet me in the sky above Metropolis in five minutes, or everyone you have ever known in your city will die an agonizing death._

The noise ended as Clark tried to focus. "Jimmy, I have to run a quick errand, tell Lois I'll be back as soon as I can."

Before Jimmy could say anything, Clark rushed to the nearest empty room and took off his civilian clothes, revealing the Superman costume underneath. He flew out the nearest window and took off to the skies above Metropolis, wondering who was threatening his city time.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Connor asked as he saw Jon's nose was bleeding. "Kid, are you okay?"

"My head hurts," Jon said as Connor picked him up.

"It'll be okay, I promise. Let's get you indoors."

"What about Dad? He's going to need our help."

"You might be right, but you're my responsibility until he gets back, and right now I need to make sure you're alright," Connor said as he carried Jon indoors as he started to truly feel like Jon really was his little brother. "We'll get you fixed up, then we'll go help Clark, okay?"

"How come you're not bleeding?" Jon asked as Connor put him down on the couch.

"Because my body's used to these kinds of things, I guess," Connor said as he wiped the blood away from Jon's nose. "Your body needs time to adjust to your powers. Someday, you'll be as powerful as us."

"Do you think someday I'll be Superman?"

Connor remained silent for a moment. Jon had already claimed the Superboy title as his birthright by being the biological son of Clark Kent, so did that mean he was going to inherit the name, as well? What did that leave Connor Kent's role in the Superman legacy as then?

"Yeah, you'll make a great Superman, kid," Connor said sadly.

* * *

"Alright, show yourself!" Superman said as he floated around, looking everywhere around the area.

"If you insist," a voice echoed through a microphone as a ship soon became visible. It was a large metallic skull with several long tentacles hanging down from it.

"What in the world?" Superman asked. "Brainiac?"

"Step inside, Kal-El," Brainiac commanded as a door opened. "So that we may negotiate your surrender."

Superman sighed as he hovered toward the opening, wondering what his old enemy was up to this time. As soon as he got through the door, it closed right behind him.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Chapter 3

_Metropolis Toymart_  
 _7:00 a.m._

The stock boy had just finished lining the shelves with the new line of Superman toys, which were to go on sale as soon as the doors opened. As soon as the young man put the last Superman toy on the shelf, a rumbling was heard from not too far away. The young man looked over his shoulder and saw a rampaging herd of parents rushing toward him, ready to pick the shelves clean.

"Alright, you're going to have to form a line- OH GOD!" the stock boy shouted as the hit the floor and covered his head with his hands and hoped he wouldn't get completely trampled. By the time he was able to stand up in his half torn off shirt, he saw that the shelves were empty. "Well, at least it's over."

 _"Mitch to the stockroom to replenish the Superman display."_

Mitch's lip curled up in sadness as he headed into the back.

Across the street from the store, a boy stood and watched as child after child walked out of the store with a Superman toy, or a toy robot, or a baby doll. Things he had been told he couldn't have. The boy was jealous of all the children he saw coming in and out.

"Is it happening?" a voice asked over the boy's cellphone.

"Yes, father, it looks like the toys are selling out,"

"Good, very good," the voice said. "Come home, son, the fun's just about to begin."

 **Family of Steel #3  
"Moral Dilemma"  
Written by Tobias Christophe** **r**

 _Now_

Jon Kent headed to his bedroom closet, finding his Superboy costume neatly hung on a hanger. Quickly changing out of his farm work clothes, Jon zipped up his top, buttoned his pants, tied his sneakers and attached his cape, standing heroically as a breeze came through his bedroom window, letting his cape flow.

"Your fly's down," Connor said as he stood in the doorway in his regular clothes of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and black boots. "You ready?"

"Aren't you going to wear your costume?" Jon asked as he quickly zipped up.

"That's Superboy's costume," Connor told him as he put a hand on Jon's shoulder, having thought about it all morning. "And there's only one Superboy now, kid."

"But what if you're going to help my dad?" Jon asked. "What if I can't do this on my own?"

"I'm still going to help," Connor told him, neither of realizing that this would Connor's final fight. "Clark might need both of us."

* * *

Miles above Metropolis, an alien ship floated above the clouds. The starship of the A.I. unit known as Brainiac, a villainous computer whose only goal was to obtain all the knowledge in the universe at the cost of every living thing. As Superman floated into the ship, the doors closed behind him as the Man of Steel walked down a brightly lit path. Several tentacles quickly shot towards Superman to restrain him, only to be met with a powerful punch to send them flying back like they were made of tissue.

"Is this why you summoned me here, Brainiac? To test my patience?" Superman asked as he reached the end of the walkway. He looked up to see a hole open in the ceiling as a robotic body was lowered down by thick metallic tubes attached to its body. It was an eight-foot skeletal body made completely of a dense metal alloy. His metallic skull had a yellow honeycomb shaped brain case at the back. "The retro look really suits you."

"Earth humor," Brainiac sneered. "Such a waste of your Kryptonian heritage."

"Let's just get this over with, I promised someone very special that we'd hit the town," Superman said.

"Your human mate and your obligations to her are of no importance to me. The hybrid, however, will be well worth the dissection to learn his secrets. I had hoped you'd bring the abomination with you, but fortunately I always have backup plans to make up for human error."

Superman just stared him down. There wasn't a lot in the universe that could get the Man of Steel angry, but of the few things that could, talking about dissecting his little boy was right there at the top. As Superman raised his fist to attack, a metallic tentacle pulled him back.

"I have only invited you here because I offer you one last chance to willingly surrender," Brainiac said as the robot pulled a lever, turning the lights from a bright yellow to a darkening red. "There need be only one casualty, and that is the hybrid."

As soon as the lights hit Superman, he could feel the red sun energy draining his powers. He struggled against the tentacles, fighting them off as he felt his strength draining.

"You are quickly losing your powers," Brainiac told him. "Soon you will be as powerful as the mortals you pretend to pass yourself off as one of. Then I will use you to bait the hybrid in. He is my true objective on this day."

"Yeah, that's the thing you never understood about me," Superman said as he used his quickly deteriorating super strength to rip a metal pole out of the wall. "I AM one of them. And here's another thing you don't know about me," Superman twirled the pole in his hand as he started beating back the tentacles. "This isn't the first time I've lost my powers. After about the fifteenth time, I started saying to myself 'Hey, I'm on a team with a warrior Amazon and the world's greatest fighter. Why am I not taking fighting tips from them for when this happens again?'"

Superman gave one good hit to the last tentacle, letting it fall to the ground as he looked at Brainiac. "I'm more human than you'll ever know, Brainiac. I will defend anyone of them to my last breath, even the bad ones. You'll never get near my son, or anyone I care about," Superman said as he calmly approached the metallic villain. "Superpowers or not, I'll dismantle you with every ounce of life in me before you even lay eyes on-"

Superman's speech was cut off as the door ripped open before Connor and Superboy flew in.

"Check this place out," Connor said as he looked around. "It's like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon."

"Connor, get him out of here!" Superman shouted as more tentacles came toward him.

"I can't leave you, Dad!" Superboy shouted as he focused his heat vision at the tentacles. "I won't leave you!"

"He's right, we don't leave anyone behind!" Connor shouted as he flew forward and started grabbing the tentacles off of Superman. "Kid, stay in the sunlight! Use your heat vision and take out those red sun filters!"

"Okay!" Superboy said as he focused, while a tentacle snuck up behind him, wrapping itself around the boy's leg and flinging him upside down.

"NO!" Superman shouted as he summoned every ounce of strength he had just before Brainiac grabbed him and tossed him into the wall. "Get away from my son!"

"Yeah," Connor said quietly to himself as the tentacles overtook him, feeling the red sun filters take away the last of his strength. "Get away from... his son."

"It is time to end this," Brainiac said as pushed a button, a tentacle shooting out and tripping Superman and lifting him into the air. All three of them were soon brought deeper into the ship as Brainiac looked at the Men of Steel. "The last son of Krypton, the clone, and the hybrid. I will learn so much from cutting the younger ones open."

"I'm going to stop you," Superman said as he struggled.

"Resistant to the bitter end, Kal-El," Brainiac said as he looked at Jon. "However, I do not doubt that you will find a way to escape. You always do, which is why I have arranged a little... moral dilemma for you."

"Hey! Terminator's ass!" Connor shouted. "Let the kid go before I take a can opener to you!"

"Dad, Connor said a bad word!" Superboy told him with a gasp.

"You're picking _now_ to tattle on me?" Connor asked. "Why don't I just tell your dad what the toilet seat looked like before we left? It looked like a sprinkler system was set off!"

"Boys, can we do this later?" Superman asked as he looked at Brainiac. "What are you talking about?"

Brainiac held out a robotic hand and revealed a small robotic creature crawling around the palm. "This is a nanite. A microscopic robot, when in mass quantities, is capable of virtually anything."

"I know what a nanite is," Superman said. "Get to the point."

"I don't know what a nanite is," Superboy said.

"It's like a metal bug that can build stuff," Connor told him. "And apparently this moron doesn't know how to use them, otherwise he'd build himself a prettier face!"

"I have sought out several of your enemies, equipping each of them with a small supply of these wonderful creatures," Brainiac said, ignoring Connor. "With the instructions to wait until today to begin their plans for the nanites."

"Who did you give them to?" Superman asked.

"That I won't reveal," Brainiac said. "I will reveal, however, that my sensors do know where the first strike will begin, and it will begin within the hour. Metropolis and all of its people are going to die when the full fury of my nanites are unleashed, Kal-El."

"You sick monster," Superman said through gritted teeth.

"Try not to hurt his feelings too much, Clark," Connor told him as he looked at Brainiac. "Me? I would have called him a %*$# &#* *(!# #*$) ."

"Dad, what's a #*$) ?" Superboy asked.

"I'll tell you when you're 21," Superman said in a sad tone, a part of him having died from hearing Connor say that.

"When the attack begins, I will freely release you, Kal-El, which is when you need to make your choice: Save your city or save your son. The life of thousands vs. the life of one."

"Hey, what about me?" Connor asked.

"You are but a clone, your artificial life does not factor into the equation."

"Okay, Ow."

"I'm not making that decision, I'll find a way to save both," Superman promised. "I'm not letting anyone die. Jon, I promise you that-"

Tears were falling down Jon's face as he looked at his father. "I know how much you love me, Dad. And I want more than anything to be a hero like you. Which is why you have to save the city. Dad, I'm just one person, you can save thousands."

"I'm not leaving you here with this monster," Superman said as he looked at Connor. "I'm not leaving either of you here."

"Then your city will die," Brainiac told him. "By the time you regain your energy from the yellow sun, I'll have mounted all of my defenses against you. All the while, the casualties from the first attack will begin to rise by the minute."

"It's okay," Connor told him. "Jon won't be here alone, I'll do everything I can to help him until you get back."

Superman looked at Brainiac angrily. "This is the line, Brainiac. Even knowing you're just a computer, I've held back against you, knowing that you have some form of life inside of you. But no more. If even one hair on either of these boys is out of place-"

Brainiac walked over to Connor and pulled out several hairs, taking them over to Superman.

"Your threats do not affect me, Kal-El," Brainiac told him. "You lose no matter what you choose."

* * *

The boy returned home to the large abandoned toy factory that had been closed for years. He headed to his bedroom, which only contained a bed and a few books. There were no toys, no comic books, nothing a boy needed at that age.

The boy sat down on the bed, just staring out the window at the park across the street. Children were playing games, having fun and smiling. The boy wished he could be out there with them, but he was strictly forbidden to let anyone know of his existence.

"The show is about to begin," a voice said from out in the hallway. "Don't you want to watch?"

"I want to go outside and play," the boy whispered as a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.

"Play? You're about to see what being a child and playing gets you," the Toyman said as he stepped into the room, wearing a sweater vest and a large wooden toy head with a sadistic smile. "Playtime is about to end for every child in Metropolis, and then you, my son, will be the last child alive. The only child worthy of the world I will build from the ashes."

The Toyman left the room and headed to a large control panel, where small nanites were still crawling around. He put his hand on a lever and started pulling it.

"Let the games begin."

* * *

"It begins," Brainiac said as he saw a single blip on the screen turn into several dozen within seconds. He looked over at Superman. "Your city or the hybrid, Kal-El. You only have time to save one."

"Save the city," Connor told him. "I'll find a way to get me and Jon out of this until you come back. I swear, Clark, I won't let him hurt Jon."

Superman looked into the eyes of his clone, seeing how much he'd matured since the first time the two had met years ago. "I know you will, Connor. I'll get you both home."

"Promises you will leave unfulfilled," Brainiac said as a chain wrapped around Superman. "By the time the sun restores your powers, my ship will be long gone. Goodbye, Kal-El, I do look forward to our next meeting."

"Connor, you need to know that I've always thought of you as a-" Superman said as a trap door opened under him, causing the currently powerless Man of Steel to fall several dozen miles. As soon as he was out of the ship, he could feel the sun's rays hitting him, but not before he hit Metropolis Lake, the chained hero sinking quickly as he struggled.

"Daddy," Jon whispered as he sniffled.

"He'll be okay, Jon," Connor promised as he looked at Brainiac. "You #*$) ."

"But the two of you won't be," Brainiac said as he grabbed Connor by the collar of his shirt. "I believe I'll start with the clone. I have something very special planned for you."

As Superman could feel his strength returning, he could hear the screams coming from the city. Lives were in danger, and he had to hurry if he wanted to save them. Then he was going to find Brainiac and save his sons.

And then he would end Brainiac once and for all.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

Little Robby had been excited all day, as this was the day that he finally got what he had been asking for; the Superman poseable action figure with heat vision eyes. He couldn't wait to take it to school Monday and show it his friends, who probably had their own toys by now.

As Robby ripped open the package and pulled the action figure out, he smiled as he started pretending like Superman was flying through the air.

"Oh, no, there's Doomsday! I'd better use my heat vision!" Robby said as he pushed the button on the back. The toy's eyes turned red and fired what should have been a harmless light, but instead it burned a hole into the ground. "Whoa."

All over Metropolis, the same thing was happening to every Superman action figure. Real heat vision, and when the Toyman threw the switch, something much deadlier would happen...

 **The Family of Steel #4**  
 **"Countdown"**  
 **Written by Tobias Christopher**

As Superman started to sink deeper into the lake, he could already feel his strength returning, as well as his other powers. He could hear the cries for help from far away as whatever plot Brainiac had started on Earth was taking affect. But as much as he wanted to help the people in trouble, he could only think of one thing: His little boy, who was helpless against the mechanical monster that now held him prisoner.

Within seconds, Superman burst through the top of the water and flew into the sky, bursting through the chains that held him. The Man of Steel was ready to deliver some justice. Just as he was about to fly off to save the day, he heard a whistle from next to the lake. He looked down and saw his wife Lois looking up at him.

"What are you doing here?" Superman asked as he landed in front of her.

"You think I didn't notice you skydiving into the lake?" Lois asked. "Oh, and by the way, why is our son not on EARTH!?"

"How did you-"

Lois held up her cell phone with the JLA GPS tracker showing Jon's red dot leaving the atmosphere. "I called to check up on the boys after you disappeared and got worried when they didn't answer. Explain. Now."

"Brainiac-"

"That's all I needed to know. We have to get our son back," Lois said as Superman hugged her.

"We will, but first I have to stop whatever Brainiac's unleashed. I need you to go to S.T.A.R. Labs and do something for me. I'll meet you there, then I'm going to stop Brainiac once and for all."

"But what if he's hurting our son?"

"Connor's with him," Superman said. "He'd die before he let anyone hurt Jon."

* * *

 _LexCorp_

"Mr. Luthor, we're receiving calls about the Superman action figures," Luthor's assistant said as he walked in. "It seems they're firing real heat vision. And in the last five minutes, we've been getting calls that the toys are becoming... sentient."

Luthor just sat at his desk, his face unemotional.

"Sir, did you hear what I just said?"

"Oh, I heard you," Luthor told him. "But I'm Lex Luthor. And Lex Luthor is always prepared when it comes to anything involving Superman. Or Superman's enemies, as the case would seem. It's time I brought out my own toy. Tell the boys to get the thing I've been funding ready to launch within fifteen minutes."

"What are you going to do, sir?"

"I'm going to save my city and humiliate Superman in the process,"

* * *

All over Metropolis, people were running out into the streets, being chased by the Superman action figures that had become sentient and were now using their heat vision to target the children of Metropolis. At his secret warehouse, the Toyman was laughing and clapping his hands in delight at the panic.

"This is so much fun," the Toyman said as he looked at the boy sitting against the wall. "Soon, my son, the city will be ours. You will be the only child left. The perfect child."

"Then can I have a toy?" the boy asked.

"My boy, if our guest shows up, I'll show you the ultimate toy that I give to you upon the Man of Steel's destruction. Speaking of which-"

* * *

Superman was flying through the streets, zapping the toys out of the air, being careful not to hit anyone that the toys were targeting.

"There are thousands of them," Superman said to himself. "How am I supposed to stop them?"

"Perhaps you need some help," Luthor said as his shadow appeared over Superman. The Man of Steel looked up to see Luthor in his green and purple armored battlesuit floating over him.

"How do I know that you didn't start this?" Superman asked.

"Because why would I try to take out my biggest source of free money? These children are the future, and the older they get, the more money I get from them," Luthor told him. "And right now it seems like we have a common enemy. Use that superbrain of yours and think of what lunatic would use toys to harm children."

"The Toyman," Superman realized as all of the killer toys started flying in from all over the city, swarming together to form a fifty story Superman robot.

"And it seems like he wants to take you and the children out at the same time," Luthor said as the two flew in and punched the giant robot at the same time. "And fortunately I saw something like this coming."

"How?"

"Because I've lived in this town long enough to know that paranoia pays off. If this were Gotham, I'd fully expect the Joker to rig the toys with his laughing gas. Which is why there's a failsafe."

"What kind of failsafe?"

Luthor tossed Superman a tracker as they avoided the giant robot's punches. "When I give the signal, a small EMP will be set off, which will disable the toys."

"And cause mass havoc across the city."

"Only for 60 seconds, which should be long enough for you to track down the Toyman and put an end to this. After that, the city's power will be restored."

"And why should I trust you, Luthor?"

"Because you have no other choice. The children of this city are in peril, and only I have the power to incapacitate the toys. You either obey my plan, or you watch the children die and we both lose. While I would love to watch this thing rip you apart, I hate the thought of losing innocent future taxpayers more. The EMP will be set off in ten seconds. I'll distract this thing, you go. Move!"

"We're going to talk about you knowing about the Toyman's plan later," Superman said as he flew off.

"Yes, Superman, fly off to save the day where no one can watch," Luthor smirked as he looked at his watch. He looked around to make sure everyone was watching and recording. "Have to time this just right."

As the EMP was set off, Luthor flew in to punch the robot. Just as the EMP reached it, the robot shattered into its various thousand actions figures, raining all over the street. The crowd remained silent as Luthor landed.

"Fear not, Lex Luthor has saved the city of Metropolis once again while the Man of Steel runs off with his cape between his legs."

* * *

Superman burst through the wall of the warehouse, seeing the Toyman standing at the computer console.

"You cheated!" the Toyman shouted. "No fair, you had help!"

Flying across the room in a blur, Superman grabbed the villain by the collar, lifting him up into the air with his hand, while slamming his fist into the console with the other.

"No more games, Toyman!" Superman shouted. "You're going back to jail for a long time!"

"No, don't take my daddy!" the boy shouted as he rushed over and grabbed Superman by the cape. "You can't take him!"

"Sorry, son, I have to-" Superman looked down at the boy and quickly dropped the Toyman. "No- it can't be. You're supposed to be-"

The Toyman took the chance to reach into his pocket and toss a silly putty egg at him. The egg bounced off his chest and exploded as the silly putty quickly expanded, wrapping itself around Superman.

"Come along, boy, leave the horrible man alone to play with my super silly putty," the Toyman said as he grabbed the boy by the hand and dragged him away.

Seconds after the silly putty had completely engulfed Superman, he started spinning as fast as he could, sending the gunk flying off and destroying everything in sight. By the time he was freed, the Toyman and his son were gone. He was going to give chase, but then he remembered-

"Jon! This isn't over, Toyman!"

After destroying the console so the Toyman couldn't use it anymore, Superman flew through the roof and headed towards S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

 _S.T.A.R. Labs_

 _"Though there were over a dozen injuries, there were no fatalities. This is what people are starting to call one of the oddest publicity stunts in history. Lex Luthor had this to say."_

 _"LexCorp apologizes for this publicity stunt and of course will pay for all damages and medical costs. We are entirely grateful that were no casualties and we hope you will still continue to buy our fine products. The heat vision action feature on the Superman toys will, of course, be removed and the toys replaced free of charge with less dangerous models."_

 _"The city is of course grateful to Lex Luthor for stepping in and taking responsibility, but people are still asking: Where was Superman during this attack?"_

"Can you believe that?" Lois asked as she shut off the t.v. "Luthor's using this to his advantage. A ton of free publicity and he still gets to cash in on Superman's name."

"I'm not concerned about any of that right now," Superman said as he arrived. "Is the ship ready?"

"It's been ready," Lois told him. "And so am I."

"What?" Superman asked as he saw Lois getting into a flight suit.

"Our baby is trapped on that monster's ship," Lois told him. "I want a piece of that guy myself. You're taking me with you, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"No?"

"I'm not taking it as a question either,"

"But-"

"You have two choices: Either deal with Brainiac and save our son alone, or you deal with me when you come home."

"Well, let's get going, our boy is waiting," Superman said, fearing Lois's wrath more than any of his villains.

* * *

 _Later, in the Toyman's secret underground lair hidden in the sewers_

"Well, my boy, it looks like the EMP didn't affect you," Toyman said as he examined Adam's back, where a plate was open, revealing a series of complicated electronics. "The shell that acts as your skin, thanks to using the last of those nanites, protects you from any kind of electronic interference, making you the perfect robotic toy child."

"When can I be a real boy like you said?" Adam asked as Toyman closed the plate.

"Someday," Toyman told him. "But not just yet. We have much work to do, my son. Much work. But I promise you, someday you'll be real. Now get your shirt on and go to your quarters. It's time for rest."

Adam grabbed his sweatshirt and headed to his empty room as the Toyman headed to the closet and opened it, seeing rows upon rows of older models of the same robotic boy, none of them having worked out as well as the current version. Of course, Toyman had no intention of keeping his promise to Adam. He would build the ultimate toy, one that would ensure the destruction of Superman.

"One step closer to the perfect toy..."

 _To Be Continued..._


End file.
